Definitions

The rule of thumb is to use the worded equation when applicableHighlighted definitions are likely to be asked

Mechanics

Motion

Acceleration - The rate of change of velocityArea - The size of a part of a materials surfaceAverage Speed - Measure of the total distance travelled in a unit timeDisplacement - The distance travelled in a particular directionDistance - Difference between to points in different positionsInstantaneous Speed - Speed at a certain instanceKelvin - Measure of TemperatureScalar - A quantity with only magnitudeSpeed - The distance travelled per unit timeVector - A quantity with magnitude and directionVelocity - The displacement in a unit timeWeight - Gravitational force of an object

Force in Action

Braking Distance - The distance a vehicle travels while decelerating to a stopCentre of Gravity/Mass - The point at which the entire weight of an object is said to actCouple - Two forces that are equal and opposite to each other but not in the same straight line - acting in the same rotational directionCrumple Zone - An area of a vehicle designed to increase the distance over which the vehicle decelerates and so reduces the average force actingDensity - Mass per unit volumeDrag - Resistive force that acts on an objectDrag coefficient - Determines how much drag acts upon the objectEquilibrium - Where there is no net forceForce - a push or pullFree fall - When an object is accelerating under the force of gravityGPS - A system using trilateration of three satellites giving an exact locationGravitational Force - Acceleration due to gravity (on Earth = 9.81)Moment of a force - The turning effect due to a force multiplied by it's perpendicular distance from a given pointNewton - Unit of ForcePerpendicular - right angled toPressure - Force per unit areaPrinciple of Moments - For a body in rotational equilibrium the sum of the clockwise moments equal the sum of the anti-clockwise momentsStopping Distance - The sum of the thinking and braking distance - total distance for a vehicle to stop from point of visual contact with a need to stopThinking Distance - The distance it takes before the brakes are applied after noticing a need to stopThrust - Force due to an engineTorque - Turning effect due to a coupleUpthrust - A force acting against an objects direction of travel

Work and Energy

Brittle- A material that distorts very littleCompressive Force - Two or more forces that has the effect of reducing the volume of an objectConservation of Energy - Energy cannot be created or destroyed only transformed or conservedDuctile - Materials that have a large plastic regionEfficiency - The percentage of useful energy outputElastic Deformation- The object will return to its original shapeElastic Limit - The point where elastic deformation becomes plastic deformationElastic Potential Energy - The energy stored in a stretched or compressed objectEnergy - The ability to do workExtension - The change in length of an object subject to tensionForce/Spring Constant - The constant of proportionality in Hooke's LawHooke's Law - The extension of an elastic body is proportional to the force that causes itIntensity - The energy incident per square metre of a surface per secondJoule - Unit of energy - work done when a force of 1 N moves its point of application 1m in the direction of forcePlastic Deformation - The object will not return to its original shapePolymeric - Material which sustains large stress loadsPower- The rate of doing workSpring Constant - Force per unit extensionStrain - The extension per unit lengthStress- The force per unit cross-sectional areaTensile Force - Two or more opposite forces acting on an object extending itTensile Stress - Tensile force per unit cross sectional areaUltimate Tensile Strength/Stress- The maximum force/stress that can be applied to an object before it breaksYoung's Modulus - The ratio of stress and strain

Electrons, Waves and Photons

Electrical Current

Ampere - Measure of currentCharge - Amount of current over a unit timeConventional Current - The assumption current flow is + to -Coulomb - Measure of ChargeCurrent - Flow of charge in a unit timeDrift Velocity - The average velocity of an electron as it travels through a wire due to pdElectrolyte - A fluid that contains ions that are free to moveElectron - Negatively charged sub-atomic atomElectron Flow - Current moving from - to +Kirchhoff's First Law- The sum of the currents entering a junction are equal to the sum of the currents exiting a junction - conservation of charge

Resistance

Conductor - A material with a high conduction electron number densityInsulator - Opposite of conductorOhm - Unit of resistanceOhm's Law - The electric current through a conductor is proportional to the potential difference across it provided it is under standard conditionsResistance - Regulation of current through a materialResistivity - The intrinsic properties of a metal (best defined with equation)Semiconductor - A material that electrons move when put in a circuit leaving gaps for electrons to replace

DC Circuits

Ammeter - A device connected in series to measure currentComponents - Parts of electrical circuitElectromotive Force - Electrical Energy transferred per unit charge when chemical is turned into electrical energyElectronvolt - Energy change of one electron when it moves through a pd of 1VFuse - Component designed to melt when overloaded with currentInternal Resistance - The resistance of a battery or cellKilowatt hour- Unit of energy to monitor energy usage in a householdKirchhoff's Second Law - The sum of the emfs is equal to the sum of the pds through a closed groupLight Dependent Resistor - Component that increases its resistance when light intensity decreasesLight Emitting Diode - A component that allows current traveling in one direction throughParallel Circuit - Where there are components on separate loopsPotential Difference- Electrical Energy transferred per unit charge when electrical energy is converted into other energyPotential Divider - A circuit designed to divide up the pds in proportion to the resistance of the componentsPower - The rate of doing workSeries Circuit - Where all the components are on the same loopVolt - Unit of pd or emfVoltmeter - Device connected parallel to measure the pd across a loopWatt - Unit of Power

Waves

Amplitude - Maximum displacement of a wave from rest positionAntinode - Point of maximum amplitude caused by constructive interferenceCoherence - Two waves constatly in phaseDiffraction - Spreading of a wave round an obstacleElectromagnetic Wave - A self-propagating transverse wave that doesn't require a medium to travel throughFrequency - Number of oscillations per unit timeFundamental Frequency - The lowest frequency in a harmonic series where a stationary wave formsGamma Rays - Electromagnetic wave with wavelength between 10^(-16 to -9)Harmonics - Whole number multiples of the fundamental frequency of a stationary waveInfrared - A form of electromagnetic wave with wavelength between 10^(-6 to -3)Interference - The addition of two or more waves resulting in a new wave patternLongitudinal Wave - A wave where oscillations are parallel to the direction of wave propagationMalus' Law- The change in intensity of a transverse wave passing through a Polaroid AnalyserMicrowaves - Electromagnetic wave with wavelength 10^(-4 to -1)Monochromatic Light - Light waves with a single frequency or wavelengthNode - A point where there is always zero amplitude caused by destructive interferencePeriod - Time taken to complete one oscillationPhase Difference - The difference between two waves traveling parallel to each otherPlane Polarised Wave - A transverse wave operating in one planePolarisation - Turning of an unpolarised wave into a polarised waveProgressive Wave - A wave that travels from one point to anotherPropagation - The way a wave travelsRadian - A measure of angleRadiowave - Electromagnetic wave with wavelength 10^(-1 to 4)Reflection - Rebound of waves off a surfaceRefraction - Change in direction of waves into a different mediumStanding/Stationary Wave- A wave formed by the interference of two waves traveling in opposite directionsSuperposition - When two or more waves of the same type exist in the same place the resultant wave will be found by adding the displacements of the individual wavesTransverse Wave - A wave where the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of wave propagationUltraviolet - Electromagnetic wave with wavelengths 10^(-9 to -8)Wave - A series of vibrations that transfer from one point to anotherWavelength - Smallest distance between on point to it nearest adjacent identical point on the next waveX-ray - Electromagnetic wave with wavelength 10^(-12 to -7)Young's double Slit - Experiment to show wave nature of light via superposition and interference

Quantum Physics

Absorption Spectrum - A spectrum of dark lines across the pattern of spectral colours produced when light passes through a gasde Broglie Equation - Ratio of Planck's Constant to momentumElectron Diffraction - The process of diffracting an electron through a gapEmission Spectrum - A pattern of colours of light, each colour relating to a specific wavelengthEnergy Levels - One of the specific energies of electron can have when in an atomLine Spectrum - A spectrum of certain spectral colours produced when passed through a materialPhotocell - A component that reduces its resistance when light shines on it due to the photoelectric effectPhotoelectric effect - The emission of electrons from the surface of a material when UV light is incident on the surfacePhoton - A quantum packet of energy or lightSpectral Line - A line of a certain colour assigned to a discrete wavelengthSpectrum - A collection of waves with a range of frequenciesThreshold Frequency - The lowest frequency of electromagnetic radiation that will result in the emission of photoelectrons from a specific metalWave-particle duality - The theory that states all objects can exhibit both wave and particle propertiesWork function Energy - The minimum energy required to release an electron from a material

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Chubby Revision: A Level students revision for Chemistry, Physics, Geography and Maths